Salvage
"Salvage" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy, and the series' seventy-second episode overall. Synopsis The Charming chapter are pulled over by dirty cops on their way to a summit meeting with the several West Coast SoA, but escape. At the summit, Jax announces the end to the gun business with the IRA, and is met with agreement and approval. Bobby brings in new members to the Charming chapter. The state attorney still threatens to prosecute Tara unless she testifies against SOA. The Sheriff searches the deceased Lee Toric's motel room and leaves convinced of Nero's innocence. Plot Jax and Chibs walk through the burned out shell of the clubhouse following the Irish bombing. It's a charred husk. Jax sees his failure everywhere. "I did this," he says. Chibs doesn't disagree, but he finds the gavel and hands it to Jax. "We're going to fix this, brother. You hear me?" With Sheriff Roosevelt on the scene, Jax tells him he can't tell him who's responsible, but it's because they're trying to end a relationship. Roosevelt explains that the Sons aren't welcomed by Charming like they used to be, given how much havoc they bring. Jax tries to lay it out for Roosevelt, telling him plainly and honestly that he's trying to get the club back on a good path, but if Roosevelt looks into them right now about the school shooting, it's not going to help either of them. Chibs assures Roosevelt they're going to put things right. "I can tell you guys really believe that, not sure I do," Roosevelt says. He heads back to the station where Gemma is making a ruckus about Nero being locked up. At the station, Gemma pitches a fit when the deputies won't let her see him. She knocks one over and ends up in the holding cell with Nero. Even though no one was hurt in the bombing, she knows it probably has Nero thinking of putting distance between him and the club. She wants to be with him, but doesn't think she can leave her family and the club. She wants both. At the moment, he's more worried about the murder charges against him. The Sons gather at Gemma's place. Jax checks on Tara and the boys in his old room. Abel wouldn't sleep or eat. Jax tells her they're going to Chester to sit down with the Northwest charter and explain what happened. Tara tells him she's going to go get an ultrasound as a precaution. Jax gets a call from Ireland. He puts it on speaker phone. "The council is prepared to offer you terms for your betrayal," Galen says, threatening to bomb the other charters if they don't go along. Clay will be handling distribution, though Galen won't say how. SAMCRO has to ensure their buyers transfer to Clay, but they don't get a cut. "You wanted out, that includes profit as well," Galen says. Jax looks around his table and gets nods of approval from everyone. He tells the Kings he agrees, but then tells them Connor and their other guys are still alive. The Kings are surprised. "I told you I didn't want a war," Jax says. After Jax hangs up, the other Kings glare at Galen, who had apparently told them that the Sons would kill the captured True IRA members and fuel the fire for war. Galen seems to notice the annoyance of the other Kings, and quietly tells them he'd push the deal with Clay forward and leaves the table, leaving the other Kings to their thoughts. Chibs suggests they keep Connor a few more days to make sure the Kings' peace offer is real. Everyone agrees. Gemma gets dropped off back at her house. Jax asks her to tell Clay what happened and tell him to move forward, no privacy needed so no conjugal. (He doesn't know what happened at the last one.) The Sons ride out. Tara tells Gemma she's going to the hospital to work on her case with Lowen. Unser picks her up (and references his "Nazi owie" to Abel). At the sheriff's station, Roosevelt catches Tyne Patterson up on the fact the IRA bombed the Sons. He also tells her he thinks Nero was set up for the escort's murder, but she brushes him off, saying she's going to follow the hard (planted) evidence. At the hospital, Unser checks on Tara, who is shell-shocked. "I don't know what's more frightening: the violence getting worse or my ability to simply take it in stride. I see how living this way can make you...." "Gemma?" he offers. He offers his help again. She tells him she's filing for divorce but seeking full custody. When he asks who's taking the boys if she goes away to prison, Wendy walks up. Tara suggests Wendy check on Gemma to build the trust. "You're spinning a lot of plates there sweetheart," Unser observes to Tara. On the road outside Eden, two police on motorcycles pull over the Sons on bikes. Rat, with the "hardware" in a cooler on the seat next to him in the van, keeps going. Jax is polite to the cops, who inform them "gang colors" aren't allowed in city limits. Jax tries to diffuse the situation, but the cops are intent on hassling them and call in for a flatbed to impound the bikes and check all the parts to make sure they're not stolen. Juice gives the cops lip, calling one a coward, to the annoyance of Jax. When the cops get called elsewhere, they handcuff Juice to his bike and shoot out his tires. Juice gets angry and elbows one. Happy reacts, disarming the other, all while Jax shouts at them to stop. Jax tells them they know a scam when they see one. "That's right we do, I've see 'Smokey and the Bandit' a thousand times. Love that movie," Tig says. The Sons hop on their bikes and ride off when the patrol SUV pulls up. The two motorcycle cops hop in the SUV and follow the Sons, catching up quickly. Juice gets in front of the SUV and slows down. Rat, who had been waiting up the road, pulls up alongside Juice and urges him to jump from his moving bike into the van. Juice does, and it works. The bike lays down in the road in front of the police SUV, which flies off the road and flips. (The cops are fine.) They all cheer for crazy Juice. Later, they pull in to Three Point Lodge and after checking in, they confirm there are no warrants or anything out on them, which means the cops were dirty, probably part of the stolen bike parts pipeline. Jury greets them and Jax sees that Bobby is there. Bobby asks to talk to him after. Gemma goes to visit Clay. She tells him the Irish blew up the clubhouse, but he should move forward with their offer. Gemma asks Clay if he has a sense how far Lee Toric would have gone. She wonders if he set up Nero to get at the club. Clay is incredulous she's asking for help with her boyfriend. Seeing as how she was forced to have sex with him yesterday, she figures Clay owes her. He tells her Toric was completely warped, and about the things he did and had done to Otto. Jax sits at the head of the big table, acknowledging that their actions affect all the clubs. He brings up his father, saying his fear and doubt made him vulnerable. He addresses his brothers: "I'm here to tell you I'm not following that path, the choices I make are not because I'm afraid or because I have any doubts about the club. I watched my best friend get his head caved in to protect what we have here. We've all watched brothers die in the service of this club. There's two things you can do when that happens: you can run from the pain, bail; or you can allow it to burn in to your heart, to leave its mark, a constant reminder of the love that brought us all here. Sons of Anarchy is at a crossroads. Our clubhouse blowing up last night, that's a sign of the times, the end result of a bloody relationship with the IRA." He tells them he wants them out of guns. He's expanding Diosa and rebooting Cara Cara in a warehouse down by the docks. He tells them they have a deal with the Irish to keep the peace, but they take a financial hit. But he says the club has no future in guns, they've had 20 deaths in the last two years, all tied to guns. He offers Redwood's help to any charter that wants to move in a legitimate direction. He gets a round of table pounding in approval. Gemma barges in to Roosevelt's office at the station and finds Patterson in it on the phone. Roosevelt introduces them and gives Gemma the floor. She tells them what Toric was having done to Otto and that Nero was with her all night when the escort was killed, then he went to church in the morning. "I know you want to find the devil who put the gun in that boy's hand, but it wasn't Nero," Gemma says. "Then who was it?" Patterson asks. Gemma leaves. Roosevelt suggests that if anyone finds out what Toric did, given that he was on Patterson's payroll, it might not look good. She suggests they check his hotel. Roosevelt and his deputy head to Toric's room, which is untouched. It smells like bleach. They find a semi-automatic weapon under his bed, bottles of pills on his nightstand and a gun with a silencer in a drawer. Roosevelt finds his drugs and the bleach spot on the carpet where Erin bled out, plus two bullet holes in the floor. Patterson still isn't willing to let Nero go until the DNA from Toric's room is back, she wants Nero charged with murder. Roosevelt is annoyed. Back at the lodge, Jax checks in with Juice, assuring him he has nothing to prove. Juice isn't sure Chibs agrees. Tara calls Jax and tells him the ultrasound was fine. Ally Lowen arrives and tells Tara that Patterson is coming to offer her a deal. Bobby talks to Jax, who's expecting his Nomad transfer papers. Instead, they're transfer papers for Quinn, Montez and West to join Charming. Hopper got spooked by the explosion, but Bobby hand-picked these guys because they're smart, loyal and family men. He says he resigned as VP because he didn't know how to help Jax that way, but he could help by rebuilding the club. At the hospital, Patterson makes a pitch to Tara to turn in Jax on gun running in exchange for full immunity. Tara tells Lowen she doesn't need to think about it. Gemma stops by Diosa. Lyla tells Gemma there's someone waiting to talk to Nero. "One of Nero's girls?" Gemma asks. "Yes and no," Lyla says. Gemma goes to see who it is -- it's Venus Van Damme (Walton Goggins), the transgender escort who helped the Sons previously. She has a black eye. "I knew Nero had himself a new lady, I just didn't realize she was so substantial," Venus coos. She explains that her mother Alice was one of Nero's early girls. Nero took pre-Venus in when his mom was locked up when he was 15. Nero was his "guardian angel." She's come to him again for help. "I'm afraid I ran smack into a low-hanging branch on my family tree," she explains. Gemma assures her she's safe there. Jax, the Sons and the three new recruits report to a salvage yard in Eden. Jax and Happy take off their cuts and ring the bell, luring the guy over with a ward of cash. When Jax says an Eden cop sent him there, the guy asks what kind of car it is, confirming any doubt the cops are in on a chop shop ring. The Sons go in to collect Juice's destroyed bike. They find brand new Harleys in the garage. They call the Eden cops. In the hospital, Patterson takes off her wig, lets down her braids and tells herself it's time to go "hood." She finds Tara and tells her she's moving up the trial date and will be prosecuting Tara's case herself. The Eden cops come to the garage. Jax explains they took detailed photos of the bikes, just in case. Juice picks out the bike he wants. Jax tells the cops he wants to be sure nothing that happened today comes back on the club. He also asks for an apology. When one is not forthcoming, he decks one of the cops. The guys soak up the "sorry for my behavior today" from both of them. "It's good to be back," laughs Bobby. Church meetings (Ratboy gets up to leave) Jax: Stay. (Jax puts phone on table with speaker on) We're all here. Galen: The council is prepared to offer you terms for your betrayal. Jax: Our betrayal? Galen: That's right. A peaceful transition. Or we do what we did yesterday to every clubhouse between here and San Bernadino. Jax: What terms? Galen: Clay will be handling the distribution of our guns in Northern California. How, is none of your concern. What is your concern is facilitating that transition. Making sure all your buyers are onboard. And you won't be taking a percentage. You wanted out, that includes profit as well. Understood? Jax: We'll have to take a vote. Galen: I don't give a shit about your democracy. Are we understood? (everyone silently votes yes) Jax: Yeah. Understood. Roarke: Glad to hear that, Jackson. Jax: Really? Because your plan was to blow up our clubhouse with a full table, so forgive me if I have a little trouble believing you're glad to hear anything from me. Roarke: We regret being pushed to such desperate measures. Let's make sure that never happens again. Jax: All of us here can live with that. I'm not sure everyone at your table feels the same way. Galen: We all want the same thing, Jax. Jax: No, we don't. I'll cut Connor and your other guys loose. Roarke: The're still alive? Jax: Yeah. I told you. I didn't want a war. Roarke: Aye. (end of phone call) Chibs: I say we keep Connor for a couple more days. Make sure this peace shit is real. Jax: Is that what you all want? Tig: Yeah. Yeah. Happy: At least a couple days. Juice: Makes sense. Jax: Okay. Tacoma's still at the barn. Let's keep them there 'til we get back. Tig: Jax. Rogue River, Indian Hills, Eureka, Moab, Tacoma, all officers are confirmed. Jax: Alright, let's go. (hits gavel) ---- Jax: I wanna say thank you for making the ride. Means a lot to me to have a full table. I'm certain you have questions, and doubts. That's what this meeting is for. I know every charter is independent. You run them as you want. But I also know, the things we do in Redwood, especially here in the Northwest, impact your local relationships, and affect the way you earn. Some of you knew my old man. Some just knew his legacy. It's no secret that he was conflicted at the end. Questioned every decision he'd ever made. About the club, about his family. That fear, that doubt. It ruined him. Made him vulnerable. I'm here to tell you that I'm not following that path. The choices that I make are not because I'm afraid, or because I have any doubts about this club. I watched my best friend get his head caved in to protect what we have here. We've all watched brothers die in the service of this club. There's 2 things you can do when that happens: You can run from the pain, bail; or you can allow it to burn into your heart. To leave it's mark. A constant reminder of the love that brought us all here. Sons of Anarchy is at a crossroads. Our clubhouse blowing up last night, that's a sign of the times. The end result of a bloody relationship with the IRA. It'd be easy for me to sit here, and blame our mistakes on my predecessor, but that won't solve shit. We don't need blame. What we need, boys, is change. I want us out of guns. The RICO heat, the competition, the Irish blow-back. It's just not practical. Between lawyers and repairing the damage, we barely earn a profit. I'm gonna move Redwood into more legitimate enterprises. Diosa is doing great. We're earning real money. We're gonna open another house in Stockton. We're gonna reboot Caracara. We just found a warehouse down by the docks. So I guess it's fair to say that SAMCRO's future is in pussy, not bullets. (everyone laughs) We struck a deal with the Irish. One that keeps the peace. But that transition means we all take a hit. Now, I know everyone here has had a taste of the gun business. Whether it's from protection, storage or distribution. It's gonna sting at first, letting go of that cash. But if we don't, I'm telling you, this club won't have a future. We've had 20 members killed in the last 2 years. All of those deaths, tied to the gun business. Outside of guns, how you earn is up to you. But, if you would like, my charter will do everything it can to help you move in a legitimate direction. A direction that keeps us out of jail. That keeps us whole. And that keeps us alive. (everyone starts pounding table) ---- Credits Main Cast * Charlie Hunnam as Jackson 'Jax' Teller * Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow * Mark Boone Junior as Bobby 'Elvis' Munson * Dayton Callie as Wayne Unser * Kim Coates as Alex 'Tig' Trager * Tommy Flanagan as Filip 'Chibs' Telford * Theo Rossi as Juan Carlos 'Juice' Ortiz * Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles * Ron Perlman as Clarence 'Clay' Morrow * Jimmy Smits as Neron 'Nero' Padilla Supporting Cast Special guest stars *CCH Pounder as Tyne Patterson *Drea de Matteo as Wendy Case *Rockmond Dunbar as Eli Roosevelt *Walton Goggins as Venus Van Dam Guest stars *Steve Howey as Sean McNabb as Tacoma vp *Hopper *Michael Marisi Ornstein as Chuck Marstein *David Labrava as Happy *Winter Ave Zoli as Lyla Winston *Robin Weigert as Ally Lowen *Niko Nicotera as George 'Ratboy' Skogstrom *Timothy V. Murphy as Galen O'Shay *Bob McCracken as Brendan Roarke *Bart McCarthy as Declan Brogan *Michael Shamus Wiles as Jury White *Derek Ray as Officer Topher *Vince Duvall as Officer Plympton *LaMonica Garrett as Deputy Sheriff Cane *Douglas Bennett as West *Ryan Cutrona as Griffin Co-stars *Evan Londo as Abel Teller *Ryder Londo as Abel Teller *Josh Nasar as Deputy Sheriff Carreira *Marya Delver as Deputy Sheriff Candy Eglee *Rusty Coones as Rane Quinn *Patrick Hume as P.J. Pagone *Rafael J. Noble as Office Manager Uncredited *Jacob Vargas as Montez Featured Music * Pearl Jam - "Mind Your Manners" Category:Season 6 episodes Category:Season 6